Have a good relationship with food.



This is basically a whorehouse of deliciousness!


It's late at night. Everyone else is asleep.. the gentle sound of the wind blows by outside, and you have a candle going.  You glance furtively at the clock and see it is 11:00pm.

Hello, nachos. I did not eat you this afternoon, but you're looking mighty sexy tonight if I may say so. How about we..

No, no, not THAT kind of relationship with food. You sick bastards.

I am coming from about 15 years of desk jobs at this point in my life, and I have developed some truly horrible eating habits.  One of the weapons I had added to my arsenal in battling them has been thinking about my relationship with food.  Why do I eat, when do I eat, what do I eat, and most importantly, HOW do I eat.

Looking at these things as 4 separate topics is helpful.  We all have a relationship with food. How's yours? I needed a divorce, in my case.

Why do I eat?

I'm not talking about 'to stay alive' here, obviously.  Looking back over the past few years, here are some BAD reasons I would eat. Here we go:

I had $5 cash and was driving past Jack in the Box.
A TV show is on, I need something to munch.
I've been drinking. Time to get junk food.
I'm going to the cabin! Pig out time.
I'm on vacation! Ultra pig out time.
It's been 4 hours since dinner and I am not asleep yet.
I'm bored.
I had a crappy day.
I have to 'use up' food that we've got lying around.
Worst, probably: Why not?

Good reasons to eat:

You're actually hungry.
You need nutrition and energy.
You're out socially (More on this in the 'how do I eat' section)

When do I eat?

This makes a big difference in your life.  You just plain are going to feel better if you know the proper times to eat versus not.  Some of my poor examples:

Never at breakfast, not enough time.
Sometimes eat sugary stuff at the office, if people brought it. With my coffee + creamer.
Eat lunch every day - often frozen microwave stuff or drive thru, at work.
Go out to lunch every Friday, eat whatever the hell I want.
Go out to restaurants for dinner frequently, socially.
Whenever I am sitting at a computer, movie, or reading.
Late at night when I am up later and get munchies.

So.. when SHOULD I eat?

Common advice is, at the very least, eat breakfast lunch and dinner. If you skip breakfast, you are not doing your metabolism any favors, not getting enough energy for the day, and probably leading yourself into temptations such as donuts at the office, etc.

A lot of people actually recommend eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead.  That's a great idea if you can make it happen.  It really battles the urge to snack.  But you also have to be sure you are eating the right things.

What do I eat?

Common sense will tell you some stuff is not good for you.  But it can be a bit surprising what is bad for you.  This question, combined with the 'how do I eat?' question can make a huge difference.  To put this on the table (haha) - here's some stuff I really ate in large quantities.

Mexican food with tons of cheese, guacamole, sour cream.
Burgers and fries.
Breaded deep-fried anything.
Bread. Bread, bread, bread. More bread.
Cheese! Even on stuff that.. doesn't really need it. When is cheese bad, right?
Pre-packaged frozen meals for lunch.
Chips + dip.
Peanut butter.
Bacon.
Salads with lots of dressing, croutons, the works.
Etc.

Everything above (and tons more) - is OK. But, only sometimes, and only in moderation. When it gets to be a problem is when you ONLY eat stuff like this, and skip lots of veggies, leaner proteins, and healthier options.  There has to be balance.

What should I eat?

Less oil, fat, sugar and carbs. Which Dukan Diet is perfect for - it's taught me to shop smartly and cook differently. And I feel great.  I could cover this in more detail in another blog entry sometime.

Finally, How do I eat?

Still reading? I actually think this question is the most important part of changing your diet.  It definitely has been one of the hardest for me.  Rather than going into bad habits, here's a simple set of small things you can do to change your eating habits in a healthy way.

1. Portion control.  You probably eat more than you need to be satisfied. Try using a smaller plate for a few days.

2. Eat slower.  Chew more, take bites at a slower pace.  It takes your body a little bit to send you a, "Hey, I'm full now" signal.

3. Cleaning your plate - not necessary.  In fact, this habit is taught to us but often you are actually full before then. 
4. Take less food. If you really do need more - you can get more. Start with less, and you might surprise yourself that you are sated.

5. Learn to love leftovers. "Oh, I hate leftovers" is a habit to do away with. If you plan at the start of a meal to save some, it'll also stop you overeating.

6. Eat out less. I love eating out - but this is challenging on a diet. Cut it back - save yourself some money to make up for buying healthier stuff at the grocer.  Not spending $45 on dinner out means you have it in your pocket when you are at the store deciding to buy the $4.50 package of ground beef with 20% fat content.. or spend $6.99 on the package with 3% fat content.

7. When you do go out to eat - don't be afraid to ask the servers what their healthier options are.  Any place worth eating at is also going to cooperate with you if you ask, "No sauce on that please.  And can you hold the rice, and give me a little more salad instead?"  Restaurants want you to be happy and come back, they will accommodate your requests.

This blog post seems a bit preachy to me, but it isn't intended to be.  I'm giving a pretty frank look into some of the stuff I sat and thought about for a long time when deciding it was about time to stop killing myself with poor food choices.

How's my relationship with food now, after 5 weeks of this new diet?

Eating proteins and non-starch vegetables has fully eliminated nagging snack urges and I have much more energy all day.  I look right past 'free' food at work like donuts, cakes, meeting leftovers, etc.  I don't hear them 'calling to me' - I just look at them and think, "You've hurt me before, baby. I'm sorry, but it's over."

Most importantly, I've learned a lot more respect for food.  Overeating and making poor dietary choices is a very real form of self abuse, and now that I'm hanging out with better food, things are really looking up.


Special bonus for patiently reading all of this:



Victor Wong has given you the Nod of Approval.